Nutritional status of the elderly population in the Mahalaxmi municipality of Lalitpur district

Introduction: Elderly populations are high-risk groups of underweight and overweight individuals in developing countries. Thus, this study aimed to assess nutritional status among the elderly population of Mahalaxmi municipality. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional analytical research design was used with 211 elderly individuals aged 70 years and above residing in Mahalaxmi municipality. A nonprobability purposive sampling technique was used. The data were collected via a self-developed structured interview schedule. Anthropometric measurements were performed. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 was used for data analysis. The analysis was performed via descriptive and inferential statistics. The association between two variables was measured by the chi-square test, with a p value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Most of the respondents (44.5%) were overweight, 32.7% were normal weight, 19.5% were obese, and 3.3% were underweight. The majority of the respondents (85.8%) reported a mixed vegetarian diet, whereas 14.2% reported a vegetarian diet. Similarly, only 5.2% reported having some food restriction, and only 5.7% of the respondents reportedfasting. The most skipped meal was dinner, whereas 3.3% reported skipping. Similarly, more than half of the respondents (64.5%) had chronic health problems at present. Furthermore, a chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant association between living arrangement and chronic health problem with body mass index. (p<0.05). Conclusions: In the present study, the majority of the respondents in the elderly population were overweight or obese. Therefore, awareness of their normal body mass index, overweight status and obesity status should be launched by authorities related to health to improve health and quality of life.